Washington [US], June 30: After the first televised debate between bipartisan candidates in this year's US presidential election organized by CNN on June 28 (Vietnam time), The New York Times Editorial Board published an editorial titled : "To serve this nation, President Biden should leave the race."
In the article, the Editorial Board of The New York Times , the most prestigious and influential newspaper in the US, pointed out that Mr. Biden has proven to be the best person to defeat the threat to democracy when won the election in 2020. However, "the most meaningful act of serving the American people that Mr. Biden can now do is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election," The New York Times wrote.
According to The Guardian , The New York Times ' article reminds of the time in February 1968, when famous CBS journalist and host Walter Cronkite, on a prime time program in the US , publicly questioned about the US military intervention in southern Vietnam after the Tet Offensive campaign, when the southern army and people simultaneously unexpectedly resisted and rose up in many places, especially in Saigon.
Cronkite was a veteran journalist known for his candor and was once hailed as a symbol of objectivity by Cleveland State University communications professor Richard Perloff. According to The Washington Post , Cronkite was a patriot and until 1968 believed what the U.S. government said about the Vietnam War .
But, like many Americans, Cronkite was in complete shock about the Tet Offensive. "What the hell is going on? I thought we were winning the war," he said when the first news of the offensive was reported to CBS.
Images of fighting in the heart of Saigon, including at the American Embassy, prompted many to question who was really winning, and Cronkite decided to travel to Vietnam himself. During his trip, he witnessed the fighting in Hue and spoke with William Westmoreland's deputy, General Creighton Abrams.
Mr. Cronkite then summarized his Vietnam trip with a special report on the war, which was broadcast by CBS on the evening of February 27, 1968, shocking the whole United States. "To say that we were mired in stalemate seemed the only realistic conclusion... It was increasingly clear to the reporter that the only reasonable way out would be to negotiate, not as victors...".
Mr. Cronkite's comments shocked America. Contrary to the image of a journalist who had never publicly expressed his opinion on the war, the above reportage was admitted by him to be "subjective" and his opinion.
President Lyndon Johnson, then running for re-election, was reportedly disappointed by Cronkite's reporting, saying: "If I lose Cronkite, I lose Middle America." Middle America is a term used to describe the region in the heartland of the United States, with a predominantly middle-class population and traditional political and religious views.
Whether Mr. Johnson said that statement or not is still debated. However, the Tet Offensive and Mr. Cronkite's report caused a political domino effect. Democratic presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy, who opposed the Vietnam War, quickly rose to prominence in the election race. Mr. Robert Kennedy, younger brother of the late President John Kennedy, first criticized the government for concealing the true situation about Vietnam and then joined the presidential race.
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election, saying, "I will not seek and will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president." Part of the reason he gave was health issues.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
